The Netflix/Marvel series Daredevil saw the clash of the iconic foes Daredevil and Kingpin, played by Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio. The Netflix series did not hold back on going deep into the characters’ back stories, which were violent and saddening in many ways. The treatment of the show was leaning more towards an R-rating due to its depiction of violence.
After the Netflix Marvel shows were canceled, Cox and D’Onofrio have reprised their roles as Daredevil and Wilson Fisk in the MCU. While Cox is soon to return in a solo Disney Plus series Daredevil: Born Again, D’Onofrio was seen in Echo, and both actors are rumored to appear in Spider-Man 4. However, fans seem to be concerned about how the two characters with such violent depictions would be treated in a more kid-friendly film like Spider-Man.
Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio in Marvel’s Daredevil
Netflix and Marvel struck a deal to create original shows for their characters, which resulted in the shows Daredevil, The Punisher, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and The Defenders. The shows were set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s continuity, with references to events in The Incredible Hulk. However, they were more self-contained, unlike the films.
Daredevil was arguably the most successful show of the Netflix/Marvel deal. The show starred Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, a lawyer who is a vigilante by night known as ‘The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen’. As he fights crime, he crosses paths with the businessman and head of the criminal empire in Hell’s Kitchen, Wilson Fisk a.k.a Kingpin.
Throughout the three seasons, Murdock and Fisk keep clashing with each other as each tries to expose the other. Murdock wants to lift the facade of a do-good businessman that Fisk has maintained and expose him for the criminal he is, while Fisk wants to crush Daredevil’s heroism and make him realize that he is as violent as a criminal.
This clash results in several devastating battles with their relationships also under threat. The show’s treatment is grounded in reality, unlike the films that branch into the sci-fi and fantasy genres. Its depiction of violence is also darker and gory, leaning more towards an R-rating than the family-friendly PG-13 direction of the films and other Disney Plus shows.
Fans’ Concerned Over Daredevil Treatment In Spider-Man 4
The Netflix/Marvel series Daredevil was successful upon release and had a dedicated fan base, who were robbed of a great future in the show after it was canceled by Marvel after three seasons. However, despite the cancelation, Marvel president Kevin Feige assured fans that Daredevil would return to the MCU.
And that promise was kept when Charlie Cox had his first MCU cameo as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home while Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk had a prominent appearance in the Disney Plus series Hawkeye and Echo. The two are set to clash again in the Disney Plus show Daredevil: Born Again, and according to scooper Daniel Richtman, will be seen in the upcoming Marvel film Spider-Man 4.
While the Netflix/Marvel shows had the luxury of going deeper and darker into the characters’ lore, a Disney-produced film or series does not have the freedom to go there as they cater to a more family-friendly audience. With Spider-Man being most popular among the younger demographic, fans were worried that the fourth film would dilute the darkness in Daredevil and Fisk.
What I’ve been thinking is if Daredevil and Kingpin are actually in Spider-Man 4, how will Kingpin be toned down so much after mostly seeing him in TV-MA projects.🤔
— Lachesis (@LachesisHD) January 13, 2024
Would they dare to make a more mature Spider-Man movie? (I’d be so down for that, but I don’t think Sony will… pic.twitter.com/VfjrhrdApk
They’ll just portray him as they portrayed him in Hawkeye. He’ll be scary but he won’t be doing what he did in that GIF tho lol
— Ravens/Jenna Ortega stan (@BmoreBro96) January 13, 2024
They cooked once with pg-13 they can do it again pic.twitter.com/gH1erXNSO0
— Snow (@EryxV2) January 14, 2024
Don’t forget that he was in Spiderverse, and look what he did to the young Peter Parker of that world 😟 pic.twitter.com/29WJKTY1nM
— Adam (@adam_dwane) January 14, 2024
They already toned it down in Echo
— 𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐀𝐍 (@wolverineofxmen) January 14, 2024
Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk has a pretty violent past as it was revealed in the Netflix/Marvel show that he had killed his father in a fit of rage as he was abusive toward his mother. Though Marvel would be getting its first R-rated film in the MCU with Deadpool 3, fans are still worried if the signature violence and maturity of Daredevil would be retained.
